First-Place Battle Takes Place at BB&T, Saturday

No. 10 North Carolina A&T (5-1, 2-0 MEAC) vs. Florida A&M (4-2, 3-0 MEAC)     
Date: October 13, 2018 
Time:  1 p.m. EST 
City/Venue:  Greensboro, N.C./BB&T Stadium (21,500) 
Series:  BB&T leads, 44-19-3 
TV: ESPN 3
ESPN Triad Radio: Donal Ware (play-by-play); Al Swann (analysts
Aggie Game Notes

Stations:  
600 AM/101.5 FM Winston-Salem  
1320 AM/93.7 FM Greensboro 
1230 AM/104.9 FM High Point  
920 AM/104.5 FM Burlington 
1200 AM/95.1 FM Burlington
Swann (analysts)

Stations:  600 AM/101.5 FM Winston-Salem 
1320 AM/93.7 FM Greensboro
1230 AM/104.9 FM High Point 
920 AM/104.5 FM Burlington
1200 AM/95.1 FM Burlington

OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART

Position	First Team	Second Team
Wide Receiver	13 Elijah Bell (He did not play last week vs. DSU	86 Jordan McDaniel
Left Tackle	73 Marcus Pettiford (Graded out at 85 percent last week vs. DSU)	75 Bilal Ali
Left Guard	78 Micah Shaw (He has been steady as the O-line battles injury)	74 Sylvester Smith
Center	62 Malik Johnson (He is having a strong senior season)	55 Dacquari Wilson
Right Guard	77 Breontae Matthews (His ability to play guard & tackle has helped depth)	69 Deven Milton
Right Tackle	79 Deontae Keys (He has aided the Aggies in their strong pass protection)	77 Breontae Matthews
Tight End	87 Leroy Hill (He is a nice weapon for the Aggies down the middle)	84 Quinzel Lockhart
Quarterback	7 Lamar Raynard (He needs 1 TD pass to break school record)	10 Kylil Carter
Running Back	22 Marquell Cartwright (It's hard work to tackle Cartwright)	30 Jah-Maine Martin
SLOT	88 Malik Wilson (He looks like the deep threat he was last season)	23 Amos Williams
Wide Receiver	19 Zachary Leslie (Leads the team with 5 TD receptions)	4 Isaiah Hicklin

DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART

Position	First Team	Second Team
Defensive End	40 Darryl Johnson (He leads the MEAC in sacks)	41 Tre Smalls
Nose Guard	95 Julian McKnight (He is 10th in the conference in tackles for loss)	52 Michael Branch
Defensive Tackle	94 Justin Cates (He is fifth on the team in tackles)	92 Jermaine Williams
Defensive End	96 Sam Blue (He is one of four Aggies with four or more sacks)	99 Artavious Richardson
Inside Linebacker	5 Kiaundric Richardson (He did not play last week vs. DSU)	54 Kyin Howard
Sam Linebacker	9 Antoine Wilder (He has six passes defended this season)	27 Justin Philip
Will Linbebacker	34 Deion Jones (Coaches describe him as a tackling machine)	44 Julius Reynolds
Rover	2 Jamaal Darden (Darden leads the team in tackles)	18 Richie Kittles
Cornerback	29 Mac McCain III (His cover skills continue to improve)	24 Amir McNeil
Free Safety	33 Jalon Bethea (He has three breakups and a blocked punt in 2018)	23 Amos Williams
Cornerback	14 Timadre Abram (Competes with his own teammate for best CB in MEAC)	4 Isaiah Hicklin

The Matchup: N.C. A&T will go after sole possession of first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on Saturday at BB&T Stadium against Florida A&M. The Rattlers are coming in from Florida who is being hit by Hurricane Michael this week. Despite the storm, the Rattlers plan to be in Greensboro by Friday. When they arrive to the Gate City, they will be seeking to end a six-game losing streak to the Aggies, their longest such streak against N.C. A&T in series history.

The Aggies traveled to Dover, Del., to defeat the Delaware State Hornets 34-6 last Saturday. The win moved the Aggies back into the top-10 nationally in both Division I-Football Championship Subdivision national polls – AFCA Coaches and FCS Stats Media. N.C. A&T is also the No. 1 black college football team again according to BoxToRow. The Aggies will now put their 10-game conference winning streak and their standing in the polls on the line against a tough opponent. But the Aggies are accustomed to the big game. In the past four seasons, they have defeated three FBS programs and three nationally-ranked FCS programs.

Florida A&M has one of the best special teams units in the country. Punter Chris Faddoul leads the nation in punting at 48.2 per boot. Field goal kicker Yahia Aly leads the conference in field goals per game and is third in the league in field goal percentage (.714). Aly also leads the conference in scoring (8.2 per game). Jalene Douse has a punt return for touchdown. In addition, the Ratters have the third-ranked offense and the third-ranked defense in the conference.

News and Notes:

• Aggies quarterback Lamar Raynard broke one record on Saturday and is after another one this Saturday. Raynard broke the school record for touchdown responsible for at Delaware State last week. He came into the game with 56 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns for 65 total. He accounted for all five N.C. A&T touchdowns against the Hornets to give him 70 for his career passing Alan Hooker’s previous school-record of 66.
• Raynard tied the school record for touchdown passes last week, therefore, he needs just one toss on Saturday to become the school’s all-time leader. Who has caught the majority of Raynard’s TD tosses? Elijah Bell has secured 18 of Raynard’s 59 touchdown throws.
• N.C. A&T’s defense is still strong despite giving up 140 yards to Delaware State. The Aggies are ranked 13th nationally and second in the MEAC in total defense. They are 10th in rushing defense and 11th in passing defense efficiency.
• The Rattlers last win in Greensboro was a 22-19 overtime win on Nov. 6, 2010. The two schools have gone into overtime twice in the past 10 years.
• N.C. A&T has held 49 teams to under 100 yards rushing over the past eight seasons. But N.C. A&T’s last three opponents – Morgan State, S.C. State and Delaware State – have run for 132, 97 and 140 yards respectively.

 NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

MEAC Football Teleconference Week 7

2018 Week 7 MEAC Football Teleconference
Willie Simmons (Florida A&M) 00:04 Terry Sims (Bethune-Cookman) 18:57 Rod Milstead (Delaware State) 29:45 Mike London (Howard) 34:28 Latrell Scott (Norfolk State) 44:36 Erik Raeburn (Savannah State) 50:04 Buddy Pough (SC State) 58:29 Sam Washington (North Carolina A&T State) 1:10:40 Granville Eastman (N.C. Central) 1:20:28 Ernest Jones (Morgan State) 1:28:41

COURTESY: MEAC MEDIA RELATIONS

Howard Men's Soccer Takes Down Rutgers In Double OT

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey (October 9, 2018) – In double overtime, Coach Phillip Gyau and the Howard University Men's Soccer team secured their second win of the season by taking down Big Ten foe Rutgers, 1-0, at Yurcak Field.

After 100 minutes, both squads were held scoreless. At the 106-minute mark, a ball ricocheted from Rutger's keeper Rafael Pereira where sophomore defender Matteo Turner (Hamilton, Bermuda) capitalized with his first collegiate goal and sent the Bison home victorious.

Despite being outshot, 16-11, HU's defense kept RU off the board and gave themselves a chance. Junior goalkeeper Carlos Caro (Silver Spring, Md.) posted a match-best eight saves in the win.

For Rutgers (2-9-1), Pereira had a team-high five stops in a losing effort.

BOX SCORE

Howard (2-5-3) concludes its road swing in Atlanta when they resume conference play at Georgia State. Match time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Hernandez Announces B-CU Diamondcats Fall Scrimmages

.@jdherns30 announces our fall ball schedule!

Check out the dates: https://t.co/1Neannn6zH

And a personal message from coach ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WTp3hhiqCD

— ⚾️B-CU Baseball (@BCUDiamondCats) October 10, 2018

BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Bethune-Cookman University Athletics Mourns Loss of Chris Hoch

Music Funeral Services

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- Chris Hoch, whose video production and camera work have helped Bethune-Cookman Athletics and the CatEye Network become an athletics industry standard, died last week. He was 44.
 
He and his wife, Amanda, became part of the Wildcats Family through his work on the Wildcat Football Insider and Wildcat Basketball Insider Coaches Shows, which aired on Fox Sports Florida and were also streamed worldwide on BCU's various internet platforms.
 
A Seabreeze High School graduate, Hoch enrolled at Valdosta State College (now University) where he and Amanda met. He also attended Daytona State, where he worked under the tutelage of Bruce Dunn at WDSC-TV, then defied odds to launch King's Eye Productions, a Media production company that quickly established itself as a leader in the Daytona Beach/Orlando market.
 
In addition to Bethune-Cookman, the King's Eye client list included the NFL Network, ESPN, Fox Sports, UFC, BET and many more.
 
In addition to Amanda, his wife of 22 years, the Hoch's had three children – Caroline, C.J., Jr. and Wilson, all of Remerton, Georgia. He is also preceded by his father, Bradford James Hoch of Port Orange, Florida; Mother, Sharlene Adair Laughlin of Saint Johns, Florida; Step-Mother, Josie Hoch of Port Orange; Mother- in- law, Yvonne Huffstickler of Carrollton, Georgia; Father- in- law, Lynn Huffstickler of Newnan, Georgia; and a number of uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.
 
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 in the Music Funeral Services in Valdosta, Georgia. The family will receive friends at the funeral home one hour prior to service. Messages of sympathy may be expressed to the family by visiting www.musicfuneralservices.com. The Hoch Family is being cared for by the compassionate and caring staff of Music Funeral Services of Valdosta.
 
A Florida service will also be held at the home of Brad Hoch, 435 Wiltshire Drive, Port Orange, Fla. at 11 a.m. on Sunday, October 21, 2018.

BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Update From Mother of Christion Abercrombie, Tennessee State

Yes, Christion was able to show fingers by the command of the medical team. Power of prayer is in full effect. We appreciate all of the support! https://t.co/NoEiRMzxqP

— Staci Abercrombie (@smabercrombie) October 10, 2018

Here is the only NCAA approved GoFundMe set up to assist with the support of Christion Abercrombie & his family. Per @NCAA legislation, Tennessee St is the only entity permitted to solicit funds for the student-athlete & his family.https://t.co/VrQGxlvxxx #StandWithChristion

— TennesseeSt Football (@tsu_football) October 1, 2018

Today we #PlayFor6#StandWithChristion#BigBlueRising pic.twitter.com/F6FZndUtEC

— TennesseeSt Football (@tsu_football) October 6, 2018

Gold Nuggets win at SUNO, improve win streak to 11

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana hit .300 for the sixth consecutive match, extending a school record, in a 25-14, 25-15, 25-11 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference volleyball victory Wednesday at city rival SUNO.
     
The Gold Nuggets (17-4, 8-0) have won 11 straight, tied for the third longest streak in program history. XULA won 13 in a row in 2017. The 2013 team set the school record of 20 consecutive victories.
     
XULA hit .429 in the first set and finished at .326.Marine Angely had nine kills to lead the Gold Nuggets for the third consecutive match. Vivica Price-Spraggins had eight kills, Jaida Dowd had seven, and Elena Duru had six.

BOX SCORE
     
Taikeidra Joseph had eight kills and Kennedy Williams seven for the Lady Knights (2-12, 2-7), who hit .022 and dropped their third in a row.
     
Dowd, a sophomore, played the right side for the first time this season and responded with a team-leading .667 hitting percentage in nine attacks. She had four blocks to tie her career high.
     
"I worked on the right side a little bit in practice this week," Dowd said, "but I didn't know I would play there until we got to SUNO. It was the first time in a long time I played the right side. I was a little nervous, but I knew I could do it. I knew I needed to be good for my team."
     
Angely hit .412 in 17 attacks, and Price-Spraggins hit .389 in 18 attacks. Eva Le Guillou and Tiffany Phillips had 17 assists apiece, Phillips and Price-Spraggins served two aces apiece, and Beatrice Formilan produced a match-high 11 digs before sitting out the third set. Adili Rikondja also had four blocks.
     
XULA had advantages of 38-24 in kills, 6-0 in aces, 39-34 in digs and 5-3 in blocks.
    
"We've just got to keep working to be consistent," said head coach Pat Kendrick, whose two-year XULA record is 40-7.
     
SUNO was the first of five XULA opponents in six days. Next for the Gold Nuggets will be three matches in Kentucky, starting with a 5 p.m. Friday match at NAIA No. 6 Lindsey Wilson, the 2017 national champion. The Blue Raiders have won 68 straight at home dating to 2013.
     
"We're excited to play the defending champions," Kendrick said, "and we're looking forward to a good weekend of volleyball."
     
XULA will play twice Saturday at Campbellsville University: 11 a.m. EDT against Fisk, then 3 p.m. against the host Lady Tigers. The Gold Nuggets' next home match will start at 6 p.m. Monday in the Convocation Center against Tougaloo (14-10, 8-0), which shares first place in the GCAC with XULA.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush alum, TV news legend Warner Saunders dies

In the photo of the 1956-57 XULA basketball team that accompanies this story, Warner Saunders is on the front row, fourth from the left.

NEW ORLEANS — Warner Saunders, a Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball standout in the 1950s and a broadcasting legend in his hometown of Chicago, died Tuesday (Oct. 9, 2018) at age 83.
     
Saunders's wife told Chicado media that her husband collapsed Tuesday night in Chicago. He was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
     
Saunders, a 6-foot-5 center, played four seasons of varsity basketball for the Gold Rush (1953-57) and captained the team his senior year. He graduated, returned to Chicago and eventually became a television broadcaster. During his 40 years of broadcasting — the last 29 at WMAQ-TV (NBC 5), where he was a news anchor — Saunders won 20 Chicago Emmy awards and was inducted into the Chicago Journalism Hall of Fame and the Chicago Television Academy's Silver Circle.
     
He retired from WMAQ in May 2009.
     
From the 1930s through the 1950s, it was not unusual for XULA rosters to include athletes from Chicago high schools. Saunders, who graduated from Corpus Christi High, was part of the pipeline.
     
"My high school coach, Lawrence Bingley, played at Xavier," Saunders said in 2006. "That's how I made it down there."
     
As a XULA junior, Saunders scored 32 points in a 71-67 home victory against city rival Dillard on Jan. 11, 1956. XULA records indicate it was the first time a Gold Rush player reached 30 points.
    
 "I have so many memories from Xavier," Saunders said. "We had a great rivalry with Dillard. 

Another memory was when we walked into St. Michael's dormitory for the first time. That was a red-letter day. We had stayed in old Army barracks for two years. When we moved into the dormitory, we thought we had died and gone to heaven."

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
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MEAC CCEO's Extend Commissioneir Thomas' Contract

NORFOLK, Virginia —The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Council of Chief Executive Officers (CCEOs) has extended the contract of Commissioner Dr. Dennis E. Thomas until September 2024.

“Over the last sixteen years, the MEAC has had steady and effective leadership in Commissioner Thomas,” Dr. David Wilson, Chair of the MEAC CCEOs and president at Morgan State University, said. “He has brought many innovations to the Conference and the Council of Presidents is quite pleased to extend his contract another five years.”

“I am honored and would like to thank Dr. Wilson, Chairman of the MEAC’s Council of Chief Executive Officers, and the council members for expressing their confidence in my leadership of the MEAC,” Thomas said. “We are seeing tectonic mutations in intercollegiate athletics from a student-athlete and financial perspective, among other things. I look forward to working with our member institutions to address these challenges and advance the agenda of providing student-athletes with a meaningful experience, a quality education and ultimately procuring their degrees.”

The 2018-19 academic year marks Thomas’ 17th year as commissioner. During his tenure, the conference has ensured its financial stability (balancing the budget for 16 consecutive years), increased new revenue streams, strengthened institutional compliance and improved student-athletes’ welfare and graduation rates.

 Commissioner Thomas' Major Accomplishments

About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) begins its 48th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2018-19 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 12 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Savannah State University and South Carolina State University.

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEDIA RELATIONS

Eley meets with media in preparation for South Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Coming off a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory against four-time defending East champion, Alcorn State, Hornets head coach Donald Hill-Eley met with the media for his weekly press conference.

Alabama State (2-3, 1-1 SWAC) used five overtimes and a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the game to defeat Alcorn State 28-25 in Lorman (Miss.) and now set their sights on South Alabama, an FBS-member school from the Sun Belt Conference.



Kick is set for 4 pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile (Ala.), with the game carried on ESPN3. Fans can also listen to the contest on the Hornet Sports Network beginning at 3:30 pm with the pregame show.

Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University football, follow us on social media at @BamaStateFB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook), and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State University athletics at BamaStateSports.com.

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Interim tag removed, Jennifer Lynne Williams named Director of Athletics at ASU

Williams has served in interim role since October 2017

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State University President, Dr. Quinton T. Ross, Jr. removed the interim tag from Jennifer Lynne Williams, announcing her as the new Director of Athletics at Alabama State University Wednesday afternoon.

"I would like to thank the search committee for their hard work in vetting the candidates for the position and making the recommendation for the University's Athletic Director," said Alabama State University President Quinton T. Ross Jr. "We are proud to be able to remove the interim title that Mrs. Williams has carried for the past year. During that time, she has done an outstanding job and has been highly success in leading the Athletics Department. We are excited to be able to continue the momentum that will move the department, as well as Alabama State University, forward."

Williams took over the helm of the department in October 2017 and helped celebrate the fifth consecutive Commissioner's Cup Award for the department in May, while also celebrating the eight conference championships won during the 2017-18 academic year. The Hornets also claimed four regular season championships, with three other teams finishing as conference runner-up in their respective sport. Alabama State had 37 student-athletes recognized as all-conference, won multiple coach of the year awards and had a Google Cloud Academic All-America selection this season under her guidance.

Not only did Alabama State shine on the field, but they also did in the classroom as well as every team reached the threshold to be eligible for postseason play according to the NCAA APR results. Two of the teams scored a perfect 1000 - women's cross country and bowling - and three others scored 990 or better.

"I would like to thank President Ross, our Chief of Staff Dr. Kevin Rolle, the search committee, and our Board of Trustees for entrusting me with the awesome responsibility of leading our department," Williams said. "I would also like to recognize the wonderful student-athletes, coaches, and staff who I am so fortunate to work with on a daily basis. To be able to reach a goal like this, it takes help and I could not have accomplished this without my husband Valdez and daughter Harper Lynne. Your love and support throughout this journey has been constant, and for that I thank both of you. ASU is a special place, and I look forward to building upon the winning tradition!"

The success continued off the field for the Hornets as student-athletes, coaches and staff embraced Williams' motto of 'committing to connect', with many serving actively in the community and presenting nationally in their respective areas.

At Alabama State, Williams serves on the President's executive leadership team and manages the day-to-day operations of Hornet Athletics. Williams has direct oversight of the Hornet Club, the official fundraising arm of ASU Athletics, and serves as the sport administrator for football, men's and women's basketball and baseball.

Earlier this summer, Williams was recognized for her work as she was named the FCS Administrator of the Year by Women Leaders in College Sports, and she will be officially recognized for that honor next week in Atlanta. She was named to the NAADD Executive Board earlier this year, and serves on the Division I Council. Williams also serves on the Football Oversight Committee.

Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University athletics, follow us on social media at @BamaStateSports (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook), and @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State University athletics at BamaStateSports.com.

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

MSU Basketball Programs Took Part In Tuesday's Greater Baltimore Basketball Media Day

BALTIMORE, Maryland  --  Morgan State University men's basketball head coach Todd Bozeman and women's basketball head coach Edward Davis Jr. took part in the second annual Greater Baltimore Basketball Media Day on Tuesday morning. MSU seniors Martez Cameron and Adre'onia Coleman were also on hand to represent the men's and women's programs.

The event was hosted by UMBC and held on campus at the new Events Center. 

All seven of the men's and women's NCAA Division I institutions located within an hour's drive of UMBC were in attendance, including: Coppin State, Loyola Maryland, Morgan State, Mount St. Mary's, Navy and Towson.

The Greater Baltimore Basketball Media Day program was held in "station"-style this year.

Coaches and student-athletes in attendance rotated through four stations – TV-press conference style;  Print/Radio; One-on-ones; and Facebook Live for (student-athletes only).

Morgan State's men's team begins the 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 6, when they travel to Villanova, Pa. to take on the NCAA reigning champions of Villanova at 7 p.m.

A year ago the Bears finished 13-19 overall and went 7-9 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Morgan State's season would come to an end in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament, following a 79-70 loss to 6th-seeded North Carolina Central.

The Lady Bears also open up the season on Tuesday, Nov. 6, when they host Lincoln (Pa.). Tip-off is at 6 p.m. at Hill Field House. 

Morgan State finished the 2017-18 campaign with a 16-15 overall record, 8-8 in the MEAC, which was tied for fourth. The Lady Bears, who had one of its most successful seasons in recent years, closed out the 2017-18 home slate with a 10-3 mark. It was Morgan State's best home record since the 2009-10 team finished 9-1 at Hill Field House. The team would fall to No. 3 Hampton, 66-57 in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC Tournament.

ABOUT MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is celebrating its 150th year of excellence in higher education. A Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution, Morgan offers more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Washington, North Carolina A&T Aggies Brace For FAMU Rattlers

NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

TSU Lady Tigers extend winning streak to five games

HOUSTON, Texas -- The Texas Southern Lady Tigers continued to impress running their winning streak to five games with a dominant 4-1 victory over the reigning SWAC Champion Alabama State Hornets.

The Lady Tigers offense would get off to fast start with four shots on goal in the first 12 minutes of the contest. Gia Hodges would open the scoring as she found the back of the net in the 31st minute to put the Lady Tigers up 1-0.

Begona Rodriguez-Bravo would add to the lead as she took a beautiful pass from Bailey Blalock to put the Lady Tigers up 2-0.

Alabama State's Birgit Rijinders would cut the lead in half to 2-1, as she would get behind the Lady Tiger's defense for the Hornets lone score. But the Hornets would get no closer as Rodriguez-Bravo would put home her team leading 4th goal of the season on a tremendous assist from Lemauriel Johnson.

Johnson herself would get in on the scoring fun as she also found the back of the net making it 4-1.

"I'm just really proud of the girls, they had a really tough week and they really came through this weekend," said TSU head coach Kathryn Balogun. " Collectively they put their teammates above everything and continued to make good decisions with the ball, so it was really a total team win. We're starting to score goals which is always a positive sign" Balogun.

TSU will now get set to embark on a four game road swing beginning with an Oct. 12 meeting versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

BOX SCORE

Follow Texas Southern Athletics
For complete coverage of Texas Southern Athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @TXSOTigers (Twitter), Texas Southern University Athletics (Facebook), @TXSOTigers (Instagram) or visit the official home of Texas Southern Athletics at tsusports.com.

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Formilan receives her 2nd GCAC defensive award

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Beatrice Formilan has won her second Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Defender of the Week volleyball award this season.
     
Formilan, a freshman libero from Santorso, Italy, earned the honor for Oct. 1-7 after producing a match-high 13 digs in the Gold Nuggets' GCAC victory at Talladega. It was the 15th time this season that Formilan reached double-figure digs.
     
Formilan was flawless in 11 receptions of serve and produced four assists and an ace. She helped the Gold Nuggets set a school record for fewest points allowed in a third set — four. XULA won 25-10, 25-14, 25-4.
     
XULA (16-4, 7-0) will visit GCAC and city rival SUNO (2-11, 2-6) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at The Castle on SUNO's campus. It's a makeup of a Saturday match.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Ashmore is 2nd Rush freshman of 2018 to win GCAC honor

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Jordan Ashmore is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runner of the Week in men's cross country for Oct. 1-7.
     
Ashmore, from Cedar Hill, Texas, and a graduate of Cedar Hill High School, placed 42nd out of 74 runners Saturday in the Watson Ford Invitational at Clinton, Miss. His time for 8,000 meters was 29 minutes, 51.86 seconds. He finished ahead of seven runners from NCAA Division I and led the Gold Rush to ninth place in team scoring.
     
This is the first time that two Gold Rush freshmen won Runner of the Week awards in the same season. Francis Patterson was honored for Sept. 10-16.
     
XULA will return to Clinton and Choctaw Trails Course for the Mississippi College Invitational Saturday. The men's 8K will start at 8 a.m., followed by the women's 5K at 9. It will be XULA's fourth meet of the season.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Air Force Reserve Renews Its Title Sponsorship of the Celebration Bowl

ATLANTA, Georgia -- The Celebration Bowl announced today that the Air Force Reserve has renewed its title sponsorship of the game. Operated by ESPN Events, the fourth annual Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl is a championship-style game between the division champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).  The game will once again be televised on ABC at noon ET on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018, from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

“We are thrilled to have the Air Force Reserve join us again as the title sponsor of the Celebration Bowl,” said John Grant, Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl executive director. “The theme of this year’s Celebration Bowl is all about the celebration of service. Partnering with the Air Force Reserve allows us to truly honor and commemorate those who volunteer and serve to protect both for the community and the country.”

The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl features tradition, legacy and values of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and has established itself as the very first bowl game of the season.  Entering its fourth year, the game will once again open the college football bowl season

“We are excited to be the title sponsor of the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl,” said CMSgt Michael Johnson, AFRCRS.  “This year’s bowl game celebrating service lines up perfectly with what the Air Force Reserve does every day serving our nation at home and abroad as part of this nation’s national defense. We are looking forward to telling the great story of the Air Force Reserve, its mission and the benefits of serving to a national audience.”

Fans can purchase tickets to the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl online at thecelebrationbowl.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Prices range from $15 to $155 excluding taxes and fees.  A full list of events surrounding the game are available on the event’s website.

The Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. For more information, visit www.TheCelebrationBowl.com, and follow the event on Twitter and Facebook.

Air Force Reserve

There are many exciting part-time Air Force Reserve jobs which allow Reserve Citizen Airmen to advance their civilian careers or continue their educations while serving close to home. College Tuition Assistance and signing bonuses up to $20,000 are available for specific jobs. Go to AFReserve.com or call 800-257-1212 for more information on how you can Start Your Adventure with the Air Force Reserve.

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PVAMU Volleyball Can't Get Things Going Against Arkansas Pine Bluff

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas  –  Despite a promising first set that went the way of Arkansas Pine Bluff by a pair of points, the Prairie View A&M volleyball team was not able to find their offense, as the Golden Lions took the three game-set match 3-0.

"We had another game where offense didn't show up like they should have," said head PVAMU volleyball coach TaCho Tyler. "We are blocking, digging the ball as well as putting the ball where it needs to be for our hitters, but we aren't getting it down. We will have some time to work on some things and revisiting our hitting before we head out to Alabama next week."

The opening frame began with some good back-and-forth action as both teams were squared at 10 early. UAPB was able to build a five-point lead at 15-10, but PVAMU remained scrappy as the set was knotted at 24. The Golden Lions took the final two points for a 26-24 first set victory.

The second set opened just like the first with both teams tied up early at seven. UAPB were able to keep the Lady Panthers grounded through the remainder of the set as the Lady Golden Lions used a 7-5 run to secure the second set at 25-17.

BOX SCORE

UAPB took the match with a 25-22 victory in the final set.

Junior Jaylan Thomas paced the Prairie View A&M offense, as she tallied 12 kills. Cetara Carter tallied eight kills, while Victoria Pearson added six. Junior Erica Jimenez dished out a team-high 14 assists, while posting 12 digs. Thomas and Tamira Armstrong had 14 digs apiece to lead the Lady Panthers.

The Lady Panthers will continue their road play next weekend, Oct. 19-21 as they take on Alabama A&M, at 12:30 p.m., and Mississippi Valley State at 3 p.m. on Friday in the East SWAC Round up in Huntsville, Ala.

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS